B2-Intermediate+

The Artful Geisha (Step 3)

Arts B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Listen!Protected Step 3 Stories Styles December 21, 2019 1

ReadOasis Step 3 Geisha are traditional female entertainers from Japan. They are skilled at various Japanese arts, such as classical music, dancing, and poetry. The word "geisha" comes from (GEI) meaning "art" and (SHA) meaning "person." Thus, in a literal sense, a geisha is an artist. In the modern... Read more

Captain Cousteau

B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Sciences Step 3 Stories Times December 20, 2019 1

ReadOasis Step 3 Jacques Cousteau (June 11, 1910 - June 25, 1997) studied the sea and all forms of life in the water. He was a French naval officer, explorer, scientist, photographer, author, and film producer. "Captain Cousteau," as people called him, became widely known because of his many... Read more

A Giant of Business (Step 3)

B2-Intermediate+Biz BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Step 3 Stories Times December 18, 2019 0

ReadOasis Step 3 Black liquid exploded out of the ground and towards the sky. It was oil—black gold—and it had the power to light up homes. It had the power to run the engine of the American economy. It had the power to make a man very rich. John... Read more

Change in 59 Seconds

B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Listen!Protected Sciences Step 2 Stories December 16, 2019 0

Change in 59 Seconds By Professor Richard Wiseman ReadOasis Step 2 59 Seconds is about the science of self-help. So one part of the book explodes commonly held myths. So for example, the idea that to motivate yourself, you have to visualize the perfect you. From a scientific... Read more

Children’s Driving School (1957)

B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Step 2 Stories Styles December 9, 2019 0

By British Pathé ReadOasis Step 2 While we are on the subject of youngsters, let’s pay a visit to a driving school in Brixton, London, where the pupils are mostly children, and where the instructors, believe it or not, are children, too. Run by Mr.... Read more

Your Earth Day

B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Sciences Step 2 Stories December 2, 2019 0

ReadOasis Step 2 The Colorado River is long. It flows through the Grand Canyon, and it stretches for 2,334 kilometers through 7 U.S. and 2 Mexican states. On its way to the ocean, it serves 30 million people. They depend on the water of the Colorado River for work... Read more

Newton’s Apple

B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Sciences Step 2 Stories November 26, 2019 0

ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) Creative Commons photo by Kevin Bedel A light wind blew through the garden and shook the trees. From one tree, an apple fell and hit the ground. Isaac heard the sound, and it disturbed his thoughts. At the time, he was walking in his... Read more

The Weight of a Nation (Step 3)

B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Sciences Step 3 Stories November 24, 2019 1

ReadOasis Step 3 The sun had just set on Waikiki Beach. A cool breeze from the ocean ran through the palm trees. Friends had gathered together to hear music, Hawaiian style. One woman, in particular, was captured by the melody. Tears ran down her face as she listened to... Read more

Bred with a Purpose

B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Listen!Protected Sciences Step 2 Stories November 22, 2019 2

ReadOasis Step 2 He is the star of books, movies, and TV shows. Maybe you know him from the film The Mask, with Jim Carrey. Perhaps you know him from the TV show Frasier, or maybe you saw him in the film My Dog Skip. He is full of... Read more

A Musical Money-Making Machine

B2-Intermediate+Biz BNC Levels CEFR Levels Courses Listen!Music Step 3A Protected Step 3 Stories November 20, 2019 0

ReadOasis Step 3 Carrie Underwood by Eva Rinaldi (Creative Commons) Carrie was a country girl from Checotah, Oklahoma. She lived on a farm, and in the mornings, she would help her father feed the cows. Carrie loved to sing. She started singing at church when she was 3 years... Read more

Spreading Deadly Ebola

B2-Intermediate+CEFR Levels Protected Sciences Step 3 Stories August 19, 2019 1

ReadOasis Step 3 Patrick Sawyer was in danger, but he didn’t know it. He was in Liberia and working for the government. During that time, he was caring for his sister. She was extremely sick and getting worse every day. On July 7, 2014, Patrick’s sister died. The cause... Read more

Speak Not Ill of Thine Competitors

B2-Intermediate+Biz BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Step 4 Stories August 18, 2019 1

By Tom Peters (Creative Commons) ReadOasis Step 4 Does this require more explanation than the Golden Rule (“Do unto others ... ”): Badmouthing competitors diminishes you. Period. “Win” with better product. “Win” with better relationships. “Win” when your industry is prospering and has a good reputation. (Think consultants, ad... Read more

Words that Remade a Country

B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Step 4 Stories Times August 10, 2019

ReadOasis Step 4 Smoke, fire, and the booms of big guns. The pounding feet of horses. The flashes of silver swords in the sun. Loud shots in the air. The buzz of bullets in the wind. The cries of men at war. Rivers of blood. The white cracking sounds... Read more

Hot States

B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Sciences Step 3 Stories August 5, 2019 0

Youtube Video by Dan Ariely ReadOasis Step 3 When emotions take over, we become different people. In fact, we become so different that it’s hard for us to recognize ourselves and realize what we could be doing in this other state. So for example you could make all the... Read more

The Reason to Know

B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Step 2 Stories Times July 31, 2019 0

ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) One day Yukichi went to Yokohama for sight-seeing. At the time, the place was not much of a town. Foreigners had made a few temporary buildings there for living and selling their goods. Yukichi tried to speak with them, but to his distress and... Read more

Newspeak and 1984

Arts B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Step 3 Stories July 29, 2019 3

ReadOasis Step 3 Winston is an editor. Every day he works with words. His hands are soft, and he is not strong. He does not do hard physical labor. But his job is challenging and even dangerous. He works for the government of Oceania. Every day, he rewrites history.... Read more

Gregor Mendel: Father of Genetics

B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Courses Invention Step 3A Listen!Protected Sciences Step 3 Stories July 27, 2019 2

ReadOasis Step 3 A great tree comes from a small seed, and from small beginnings come great things. He made one of the greatest discoveries in the history of science. But during his life, Gregor Mendel was a relatively unknown man. After his death, he became famous for his... Read more

Confucius

B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Listen!Protected Step 4 Stories Times July 25, 2019 0

ReadOasis Step 4 Confucius (551-478 BC) was a great Chinese philosopher and educator whose teachings formed the basis for Chinese education, ethics, and social life. His style was similar to Socrates. He tended not to give long explanations on different topics. Rather, he asked questions and challenged people to... Read more

Awarding Excellence: The Pulitzer Prize

Arts B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Courses Listen!Music Step 3B Protected Step 3 Stories July 16, 2019 0

ReadOasis Step 3 The Color Purple is a book about a black woman named Celie. The story tells of her life and struggles, as she grew up in the Southern United States during the 1930s. The book was written by Alice Walker. And the movie version was directed by... Read more

El Greco: Genius of Spanish Art

Arts B2-Intermediate+BNC Levels CEFR Levels Protected Step 2 Stories July 5, 2019 0

ReadOasis Step 2 (Part 1) El Expolio by El Greco El Greco wanted to be a great artist. (His name means “the Greek.”) Like many Greek artists of his time, El Greco moved to Venice, Italy. Venice was alive with cultural change, achievement, and art during a period of... Read more